Player hoping to make major leagues the hard way

Jan. 31, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Minor leaguer Keith Castillo of Huntington Beach takes batting practice at the House of Power in Westminster. The switch hitter takes about 120 swings from each side of the plate. "It's the quality of the swings, not the quantity though," he says. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Keith Castillo of Huntington Beach says he's most comfortable playing baseball's catcher position. He became an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played baseball for Mater Dei High and at USC and is in the Tampa Bay Rays organization now. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Keith Castillo of Huntington Beach took the long route to Major League Baseball's minor leagues. He played baseball for Mater Dei High and at USC and is in the Tampa Bay Rays organization now. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Keith Castillo of Huntington Beach took the long route to Major League Baseball's minor leagues. He played baseball for Mater Dei High and USC and is in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Minor leaguer Keith Castillo of Huntington Beach takes batting practice at the House of Power in Westminster. The switch hitter takes about 120 swings from each side of the plate. "It's the quality of the swings, not the quantity though," he says.H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

He thought about being a soldier, but his medical history wouldn't allow him. He saw his name in the credits for the Brad Pitt film "Moneyball," but he isn't an aspiring actor. He was offered a trip to Spain to play baseball, but he'd rather compete on American soil.

Castillo, a Huntington Beach native, is now a catcher in the minor-league system for the Tampa Bay Rays, inching closer to following in his father's footsteps and making it to the big leagues.

His quest has been one full of disappointment and confusion, but if it weren't for his numerous bad breaks, the 25-year old Castillo would not be savoring the fruits of his labor today.

After graduating from Mater Dei in 2006, Castillo remained in Southern California to play college baseball at USC. During his final college season, he batted .305, fourth best on the Trojans squad, and hit four home runs.

When he graduated in 2010, he entered his name in the June Major League Baseball draft.

"It was up in the air whether I'd get drafted or not," Castillo said. "I talked to a few teams during my junior year and a few were interested."

Forty rounds passed without his name being called.

"I was heartbroken," he said. "I didn't know what I was going to end up doing."

It was at that point, in June 2010, that Castillo began to explore separate career paths, all the while keeping baseball in his back pocket.

He attended a number of Major League open tryouts that summer, but no team extended a contract offer. Without many options in terms of pursuing his dream gig, Castillo decided to enroll in the Marine Corps. There was just one, small hindrance.

He was born with a heart murmur.

"They told me that would probably disqualify me," Castillo said. "So I had to step away from that."

After Castillo's run-in with the Marines, he began searching for other avenues to pursue baseball.

"I grew up with a real passion for playing and I just remember playing catch with my dad and working out with him and learning how to play," he said. "I never really lost that passion."

Tony Castillo, Keith's father, enjoyed a stint with the San Diego Padres in the 1970s.

However, in the meantime, Castillo needed money. Ironically, it was the movie "Moneyball" that came to his aid.

USC's then-coach Chad Kreuter was signed on to coordinate playing scenes for the film. Kreuter asked the movie's casting director if they were in need of any extra stunt doubles.

"Coach just suggested, since I wasn't doing anything, why not make some money doing this," Castillo said. "So, they hired me, and the same guy who hired me for 'Moneyball' needed a stunt double for Mark Sanchez for a Verizon commercial."

Castillo accepted the offer to be a part of the Verizon commercial, and shortly after, a family friend was able to set up a July tryout with the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays for Castillo.

While preparing for the tryouts, Castillo shot the Verizon ad, one in which he was required to dive into the end zone, simulating a touchdown.

He nailed the dive, and, in the process, nailed his left shoulder.

"I knew at that point I was going to be out a good month or two before I'd even be able to swing a bat again," Castillo said of his acromioclavicular, or AC, joint injury. "It was cut and dry. I just told the teams I wouldn't be able to make the tryouts."

He spent the next weeks nursing the injury, and once he was back to full strength, decided to try his luck overseas. A colleague playing in a Spanish professional baseball league informed his coach of Castillo's talents, and he was invited to join the team.

Around that same time, Castillo was also invited to play in a Palm Springs winter league in January 2011.

This was his last gasp.

"I'd say the competition was average," Castillo said of the winter league. "You had some guys that had played professionally before, former minor-leaguers, independent players and there were some guys that were just normal. I remember there was a business executive who was 40 years old, trying to play again. There was even a female independent pitcher on our team."

He never did make it to Spain.

In the least likely of circumstances, Castillo attracted interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was the latter that gave him the call he'd been waiting for since he was a kid in the back yard playing catch with his dad.

"The Rays ended up calling me and telling me that they wanted to sign me to a minor-league contract, so I jumped on that right away," Castillo said.

His first call was to his dad.

Now, Castillo is entering his third season with the Tampa Bay minor-league affiliates. He played at Low Class A Bowling Green in 2011 and the High Class A Port Charlotte team last season, before being sent down to Bowling Green midseason

This season, he hopes to make the Double A roster for the team's Montgomery, Ala., affiliate.

"I had a rough season last year and didn't perform as well as I would have liked to," he said. "But I'm looking forward to this season and I will try to capitalize on my opportunity to play at the big-league level."

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